The One Tiny Windows 10 Tweak That Supercharges Your Surface Laptop

There are many unique features about Microsoft’s Surface Laptop, from the fabric covered keyboard to the large PixelSense touch-enabled display. But the obvious feature is the operating system, this is currently the only laptop that runs Microsoft Windows 10 S. It looks like Windows 10 on any other desk-bound computer, but this OS has been limited to improve the experience.

Luckily Microsoft has provided an escape route for Surface Laptop owners who want the full power of Windows 10. Should you use it?

The Windows 10 S operating system is geared toward the education market and is Microsoft's answer to Google's Chrome OS. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

There are a number of advantages to Windows 10 S. Part of the appeal is the ease of rolling out a large number of Windows 10 S laptops,with Microsoft focusing on schools and educational users as a prime audience.

As well as a faster setup process (which can be run from a USB stick) and a quicker login system, Windows 10 S is more secure against rouge programs, malware, and viruses, because it will only run programs that are cryptographically signed. In practice this means that if it’s not in the Windows 10 App Store it’s not going to install on your Surface Laptop. And Microsoft is not going to let programs such as ‘SuperVirus77.exe’ into the App Store.

It’s also the key disadvantage to the Surface Laptop running Windows 10 S. Developers need to make a positive decision to list their application in Microsoft’s store, not least because they will need to conform to Microsoft’s rules of how applications work and interact with users. This is a similar system to the app stores for iOS and Android smartphones, but after decades of an unrestricted app market on the desktop, this approach feels incredibly restrictive.

If you’re looking for a very niche application (such as my podcast editing tools) it is unlikely Windows 10 S will support these needs. There’s also some big hitters that are not present, such as the Google Chrome web browser. If you gong to browse the web (and frankly nowadays who isn’t going to be surfing), you are limited in Windows 10 S to Microsoft’s Edge browser - which is new, competent, but a bit rough at some of the edges. (for example when searching from the address bar you are locked in to using Microsoft’s Bing search engine, Windows 10 users can switch this to Google).

Panos Panay, vice president of Microsoft Surface Computing, speaks about the new Microsoft Surface Laptop (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

It’s a relatively easy process to move from Windows 10 S to the full and unrestricted version of Windows 10. Surface Laptop owners can do this for free before March 31st 2018. Thankfully this is not a one-way option, you can reverse the process and return to Windows 10 S but this involves wiping the entire laptop and starting again with an ‘as new’ machine, which can be daunting.

The Surface Laptop is all about speed and portability where reliability and security is paramount. For many people, the built-in apps, along with Microsoft Office, will be more than enough for day-to-day use. Throw in the extra benefits of security from malware and Windows 10 S will be a smart choice, especially in an environment such as classroom.

But if you want the portability of the Surface Laptop along with the power of an open and fully flexible desktop, don’t hesitate… get yourself upgraded to the full version of Windows Pro as quickly as possible.